<p>I have read that this school seems "cold", and that it is very spread out with roads dividing the campus. Now that I have gotten a couple of negative comments out of the way, does anyone disagree with them? Any other negatives? Does anyone really like attending? Positives? How is the merit and financial aid?
Thanks.</p>
<p>Well, it came in rock bottom on our tour of midwest schools. S had a recruiting meeting with the lax coach (nice guy btw) and came away saying...how does that poor guy recruit anyone...his facilities are a total dump. That was our impression of most of the campus as well, looked very run down, so we skipped the general tour. And, Delaware, Ohio certainly doesn't make up for it either...absolutely nothing there.</p>
<p>Oh, that is so disappointing. I have not read many positive comments on cc about this school, other than a couple from parents whose children just visited, but had not yet attended. The college is listed in Loren Pope's book and I wonder why it is in there. Pictures on the CTCL site make the school look nice.</p>
<p>There are a few nicer buildings, probably the ones used in the photo spread, so not all is bad. But, for us, not enough to overcome the campus layout like you mentioned, the Delaware location, and lack of general maintenance. H notices things like weeds growing up from cracked asphalt/curbs, etc. We'd heard good things about the academics which is why we included it on our tour. Just no comparison after visiting LAC's like Denison, Kenyon on the same trip.</p>
<p>I think that Denison and Kenyon are much more competitive schools. Also, I think, depending upon area of the country, and efc, OWU is more affordable and perhaps how they fill up their classes. Denison meets more financial need on average, I did not look up Kenyon, but OWU gives out other very generous awards, and I think that this is how they fill up their seats. Their endowment is not to bad at 158.4 million for 1900+ students.</p>
<p>I am still waiting for any other positive/negative comments if anyone goes here, or has a child attending. There are a couple of cc posters who sent freshman here this year.</p>
<p>wow--after those comments I'm almost hesitant to admit my son goes to OWU and loves it. he was accepted to OWU,Kenyon, Dennison and Wooster. OWU & Kenyon offered full scholarships--he chose OWU because Gambier was REALLY isolated --Delaware not so much. I'll be happy to answer any questions--he doesn't play sports so I don't much about the horrible athltic facilities:)</p>
<p>Oh, I am so glad that you did not hesitate to reply. I almost just scratched OWU off our list bc of all the negative comments. Congratulations to you and your son on 2 full rides! Wow! So, how is the food, is the campus really very run down, for the average OWU student, which my son would probably be (I am not talking about your son who is there on a full ride) are they finding classes to be too demanding to stick them out, and enjoy college? Is life balanced between work and play? How are the dorms, and can you describe just how rural Delaware is? Does one need a car there? How difficult is it to get to the airport from there? Which departments are the strongest? I am so glad to read about OW from a parent who has a child who likes this school. Please share what your son finds most appealing, and what he would like to change about OWU, if he could. Many thanks for be willing to share some current information about the school. If you prefer to send a PM to me, that is fine too.</p>
<p>OK here we go! The food is fine--they have totally revamped this year & have lots of variety & several different places to eat--that being said it is still college food. I honestly don't think the campus is run down--except maybe the athletic facilities--but they are in the middle of a big capital campaign to revamp them. Brand new science center--really nice. The classes don't seem overly difficult and the professors are amazingly available--one advantage of a smaller school. The kids seem to play hard and work--not quite so hard. Greek life is pretty big. The dorms are old but pretty roomy. One dorm is air conditioned--Smith Hall. Delaware is not at all rural--it's about 20 imn. north of Columbus--it's just a small town (about 30,000). Car would be nice but lots of kids don't have one--there is a lottery for freshman parking places. Airport--they run shuttle service around breaks--it is NOT close--maybe 30-45 min. away. The sciences are strong, economis and politics and govt. Financial aid--merit money--can't be beat. Next?</p>
<p>So far so good! Thank you. We will definitely keep OWU on our list of schools to see when we go to the midwest. I was actually most concerned about the workload for the average OWU student, so I am glad that there is balance. When I read some student comments on another site there was a lot of griping about the workload, but professors were complimented. Lets say you want to get off campus to go to a mall, or have a meal out, is there any public transportation, or anything within walking distance? I must say the Greek life does not thrill me, but if my son is going to find it, he is going to find it.</p>
<p>The closest mall is about 20 minutes away so he would need a car or a ride. Delaware has several good places to eat within walking distance of campus. There is no public transportation. You might want to check out the OWU website--on the side there is link to Connect OWU. It's a biweekly bulletin & the latest one interviews some freshman and they have some good insights on what it's like. Good luck.</p>
<p>Thank you very much for your replies.</p>
<p>I believe there is public transportation (DATA) available on a limited basis. OWU students can take the bus to the Crosswoods Park and Ride where they can transfer to a COTA (Columbus Transit Authority) bus that they can take to Easton Town Centre, Ohio State or downtown Columbus. There are, however, numerous restaurants and stores within a few blocks of the OWU campus.</p>
<p>My D and I attended a weekend event for prospective science students last month. I hadn't seen the campus in more than 10 years and was impressed by the improvements, including the student center and science building. The campus was well maintained when we were there but perhaps they aren't as attentive during the summer?</p>
<p>I am no longer a current student, but a recent graduate. The campus is generally well-maintained with the least maintained parts being the sports facilities. Having said, it can tell you something about the priorities of the college. Most people go there for OWU's academics first, not its sports. The new capital campaign is focusing on the sports facilities. </p>
<p>The strongest academic areas are the sciences and the english/humanities/classics departments. In some of the science courses the workload is exorbitant but this academic experience seems to be what helps many OWU graduates place well in graduate schools in their fields. </p>
<p>Delaware is a small town, so it doesn't offer all that much and the Greek life is not as big as some of the other Ohio colleges. The general attitude is that it exists and offers a lot of parties even to the unaffiliated but the social life revolves around school activities and activities organized by the SLU (small living co-ops). </p>
<p>If you have specific questions, please do not hesitate to ask them here.</p>
<p>Thanks hudonvalley, and peter05.</p>
<p>recent impressions will be greatly appreciated!</p>